First Baptist Church of Herndon

The Proof is in the Paper?

Linda Soller | Jan 31, 2022

I may have mentioned I’m attempting to retire. Attempting because the day before what was to be my last official day the person hired and trained to replace me resigned suddenly. So while they walk away in two weeks, I am struggling to leave after 25 years. I just can’t leave my team and co-workers in a bind. So I continue to work while we try to hire a replacement. I was able to clear out some of my office. The other day I was going back through my personal file and came across my very first review. In it the woman who hired me outlined why she felt I deserved an early review. It was somehow reassuring to see what she wrote in her memo.

Why do we humans find it so easy to focus on the negatives, to doubt our contributions, to struggle to see how God will use us? All these years, if asked, I would simply say I just do my job. I never thought – hey good job Linda you are so approachable, or reliable, or….  Kind words now and then had gotten me through. Maybe it’s the first child thing where I seek validation from authority figures, or maybe it’s a generational work ethic that drives me to work hard.  I’m not sure, if I’m honest, but I remember feeling a burst of energy with good reviews or really sincere thank you notes. 

The memo from so many years ago outlined the characteristics my supervisor saw in me, and low and behold they are basically the traits we are seeking in my replacement. Could it be that I was very well suited to my work?  Was the proof I had craved through the years in that paper?

I tell you this story because you just never know when your simple, but sincere, thank you will change a person’s day. You can’t predict when kind and thoughtful words noted on paper (let’s face it when written down the words seem more powerful) might redirect a person’s mood or even the direction of their life.  Is it time you let someone know how much you think of their friendship, their work, their faith? After all, the proof is in the paper, right?

Be the love in the world!  :o)